Bottle washing

[bigspoon]

Hi

I've bottled my first brew. The washing and sterilising of the 40 bottles was a b****r! Is there an easy way apart from a keg?

 

[ScottM]

A bottle tree and a rinser can make all the difference. Saves me a fair bit of time. I feel your pain though, I remember doing it all in the bath, was a nightmare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9u0cIERnuQ

 

[BigYin]

I wash the bottles after I've used them, make sure they're thoroughly drained, and then stand them on the window sill for a day or two until I'm sure they're completely dry, then they're stored in the garage.

At bottling time I take the dry bottles, spray in a solution of Videne (Boots chemist can get it for you), tip any out and whack the sugar and beer in, spray the inside of the cap with the Videne, and whack the cap on. Job done.

Videne is an iodine based antiseptic - correctly diluted it will kill almost everything, but once diluted down by the beer it's impossible to detect any taste from it - I've been using it for over a year now and it works a treat :mrgreen:

 

[bobsbeer]

Plus 1 to the bottle tree and rinser. I also use a tap bottle rinser like this:

Makes rinsing really fast.

 

[ScottM]

Plus 1 to the bottle tree and rinser. I also use a tap bottle rinser like this:

Makes rinsing really fast.

That's awesome. I can't see any way of attaching that to my tap though

 

[Pipey]

Double blast bottle washer then dishwasher for me works every time

 

[bobsbeer]

Plus 1 to the bottle tree and rinser. I also use a tap bottle rinser like this:

Makes rinsing really fast.

That's awesome. I can't see any way of attaching that to my tap though

The one I have came with a converter to attach it to a kitchen tap. You just need to unscrew the aerator off and screw on the converter then the bottle washer. Quick and easy, and then it blasts the bottles. Great bit of kit. My adapter looks like this:

 

[artiums_enteri]

Honestly the best thing I've found is fill up my kettle with 5 gallons of 130* F water and add 1 cup of PBW. I let the bottles soak until the water is about 60* F. By this time the labels have come off and the gunk inside floats out of the bottles. I take a bottle brush and scrub the rest of the crusties out of the bottles. My wife rinses the bottles a few times in the sink with cold water then they soak in a bucket of star San for 30 minutes or so.

 

[bigspoon]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've checked my beers. They were bottled on Sunday night, and the beer is clear already. Is that too quick?